Styling the stars for the RTS Awards 2018

A born and bred Northern lass herself with a very successful TV and Journalism career, she is such an appropriate choice to return home and host this glitzy red carpet event in the North East.

Here is a little reminder of her lovely look from last years RTS Awards 2017 Styled by me….

Rather than just showing you the finished picture…. Tadah!

I’m going to give you a sneak peak into how it works and what we planned for pulling a look together for an event like this.

How does it work?

People always ask how it works when you are hired for an event like this? Some people are hired by the individual or a company. I was hired by the Royal Television Society, it is my job to Style their host for the Awards ceremony. I think is a lovely touch by RTS.

I cover hair, makeup and outfit but I don’t have a budget for the outfit. This is where using my local connections with Boutiques or Brands as a Stylist comes into play, linking up with lovely people such as Pressed, Prom & Bridal who helped me choose and source a dress to hire in return for exposure.

It’s not always about going out and buying whatever dress you want for a client but using the best of what sources are available to you.

Jayne could always wear something of her own but it is nice to make them feel special and it’s not ideal having to purchase an expensive fancy dress out of the time and pay you’ve been allocated to travel up and work on an event.

Let’s start with THE DRESS….

When Styling an entire look I always start with the DRESS or outfit, then I work my way back to makeup, hair and accessories etc.

Depending on the colour, neckline and overall Style of the dress will depend on how the rest of the look will be planned.

Unlike last year I wasn’t going to see Jayne to take her shopping or for dress fittings before the Awards as she wasn’t visiting from London. I wasn’t actually going to see her until the day of the awards. OMG…. No pressure!

However, I know what she likes/doesn’t like and what she suits in terms of her colour/shape but I really had to get this right.

I visited Pressed, Prom and Bridal to try on dresses for Jayne and narrowed it down to a potential 3. I communicated and did all planning via Whats app messenger with Jayne.

My checklist for the dress was……

What suits her Colour, Shape and taste.

Comfort as she had to stand on stage for hours as well as sit through a 3 course dinner.

Appropriate for the occasion, Jayne’s profile and age.

These had to be carefully considered as I don’t think it would go down well if I sent her up on stage in a cut out backless dress with lots of cleavage on show amongst her professional peers.

ALSO… Last year we did a black fitted, fishtail number showing her curves with tousled hair and smokey eyes, this year I wanted to show a completely different look.

In my head and Jayne’s once I’d shown her the pictures, this Navy satin gown was THE ONE.

Jayne’s colouring is Soft therefore Navy is a great colour for her, she has an hourglass figure therefore this dress nipped her figure and waist in all the right places but allowed her to be comfortable and modest.

I asked Jayne to text me her measurements to check the dress would fit on the day. According to her lovely husbands help for measurements it would fit.

On the day of the ceremony in her hotel room we had 20mins between her arriving and starting rehearsals to try on all 3 dresses. As predicted we both LOVED the Navy.

But guess what? It didn’t fit….. It was too big!

She was getting onto the stage in that dress if it blummin killed me, so it was time to improvise. Yep, I decided I was going to pin and sew her into the dress. Looks like seamstress training is something else I need to look into in case of emergencies like this.

Now it’s time to Accessorise…..

The right accessories can make or break an outfit, especially a dress like this.

I’d considered a statement necklace without the sparkly belt on the dress OR statement earrings with just the belt. Hair up or down also would affect where the statement jewellery is worn.

I traipsed my local shopping centre for Jewellery to match ALL 3 dresses prior to the event. I took pictures of the Jewellery so on the day I could run back and buy them once we had 100% confirmed which dress she was wearing. This was my best option as you can’t return earrings.

On the day we opted for elegant statement earrings and the statement belt. Yay, loved it!

Out of all of the Jewellery I had searched for, can you believe that New Look was the only place I found exactly the style I was looking for? They looked expensive and were only £5.99, what a Bargain?!

New Look, £5.99

No bracelet was needed as the belt near the wrist was doing enough, a blingy statement BIBA clutch for the champagne reception finished it off nicely.

On the day while Jayne was in Rehearsals I ran out and drove to the nearest retail park and purchased the earrings as well as a mini sewing kit to attach the belt to the dress and pin/sew her into it as mentioned earlier.

and last comes Hair and Makeup…..

These were my inspo pics from Pintereset to finish off the dress and statement earrings look. Simple and elegant was definitely the mood. An un-done updo, away from her face, dewy makeup with subtle pink lips and a soft taupe smokey eye.

We were pushed for time and the lighting wasn’t great in the Hotel so this is the best picture we have of her hair and makeup look.

She looks gorgeous! A very elegant and glam TV Host I must say.

How amazing were our views of Newcastle from her hotel room? Perfect spot for Hair and makeup with a cup of tea.

We had just over 2 hours to complete hair, makeup and to get her sewn into her dress.

That was all before Jayne and I spent 30mins trying to cut her out of a pair of boots ahhhhh, thank god for the lovey gent from Hilton Gateshead who came to rescue or she would have been on stage with long brown leather boots under her gown.

Here is a collection of a few favourite products from my Makeup kit used to create Jayne’s look…..

Post navigation

2 thoughts on “Styling the stars for the RTS Awards 2018”

Hi there I buy kettlewell products and noticed your blog there. I live in bath not far from Bristol and it is my daughter’s wedding in 2019 and wondered if you know of a stylist nearer to me. I need help with a mother of the bride outfit I am a winter. Any suggestions will help. I could probably go somewhere like John Lewis I suppose. Thanks

I would love to introduce you to Park Lame Jewellery Helen. It’s exclusive but tasing ly price with styles from boho chic to full on glam, dainty to chunky …
I’d be happy to show you our range or send some samples for you to consider and review in your blog. I’m sure there are lots of ways for us to collaborate. If this is of interest please would you mind getting in touch please? Many thanks – great job on the BTC Awards showpiece outfit! Sarah xx